Return to the Unfamiliar Past
by Dustianna
Summary: Erica Townsend had returned from her last trip to Van Helsing's Transylvania. She tries live a normal life, but Carl comes to tell her that Van Helsing has disappeared and she is the only one to find him. Sequel to Stranger in Familiar Story
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: Okay, I do not own Van Helsing, it's characters, etc. If anyone honestly thought that I did, they are not very bright. Also, this story is the sequel to my "Stranger in a Familiar Story" and you kinda need to read it to understand this one.

**The Dance**

Deep brown eyes bore into mine as though they were attempting to find something hidden deep within me. I felt a pair of chilled arms wrap around my waist, pulling me closer to his even colder body. And I suddenly began to feel tired. Oh, so tired.

_'Just sleep,' cooed Dracula in his smooth Transylvanian voice. 'Everything will be all right. You are safe now.'_

_I knew that something was wrong, very wrong, and I desperately needed to look away, but something firmly held my gaze to his._

_'Erica,' called a familiar voice behind me. My heart leapt as I recognized Van Helsing's voice. I attempted to look back at him but I was unable to do so. _

_'Let me go,' I begged. 'Please. I am of no use to you dead.'_

_'I will not allow you to die, darling. You will become immortal, my bride.' I took in a deep breath and cried out, 'Van Helsing.'_

_Dracula began to laugh as he tipped me over and cradled me in his arms._

_'No one can save you now, my dear,' he whispered and bit into my neck. I cried out in pain as my blood was surrendered to Dracula's appetite. Soon, my surroundings became darker and fuzzy as another face appeared and began to sharpen to create another familiar image. Anna._

_'Why hadn't you warned me?' she demanded, 'you purposefully killed me. You murderer!'_

I woke up, my heart racing as I gazed around my sunlit room. I put my hand to my neck as I got up and walked over to my mirror. My pale reflection cast extremely dark shadows underneath my eyes. I tilted my head to the side and looked at my neck were two divots remained in my skin. One of the several mementos from my trip to Transylvania six months before.

_Had it only been six months since I had dressed as Anna Valerious for Halloween and jumped out of that swing into Transylvania?_

I signed and picked up the ring from my dresser. The very same ring that Van Helsing had given me that night. I put this ring on and glanced at the closet where the dress, jewels, coat, and Anna's hunting costume were in a box up on the shelf. I had had too many nightmares from that night. And I had hoped that maybe, just maybe, if these tokens were out of sight, these dreams, just like the one I had just had, would disappear, but they didn't.

After I had returned from Transylvania, I watched the movie "Van Helsing" once again for any sign of me in it. But I saw none. I also had jumped out of the same swing again, and when I landed, I remained in the park. Don't ask me why I had done it. I suppose I just wanted to go back to Transylvania and see Van Helsing again.

I never told my friends about that night, in fact, they still don't know what had happened and they've never questioned about it. Because, after I had lost the swinging contest to Courtney, we headed for the Halloween dance.

'Erica,' called Marie through my closed door, 'get up. Time to eat lunch.'

'Coming,' I called back as I headed to my closet to grab a shirt. I glanced up at the box and sighed before grabbing a large flannel button-up shirt.

That night, at the dance, I had attempted to act as normal as I possibly could. I'm not quite sure whether or not it worked because after the dance, Marie had conned me into going out with her and her boyfriend, James. Derek, James' best friend, tagged along and we began talking.

We got to know each other quite well and became friends. And a month ago, he asked me to prom. Marie made me say yes and I'm going to prom with her, James, and Derek.

I quickly button up my shirt, put on a pair of blue jeans, and went to the kitchen to eat some lunch. As I began to eat, Marie said, 'Erica, can I do your hair and make-up, please?'

'I don't know…'

'Please,' she batted her eyes innocently, 'I know exactly what to do.'

'I suppose, but hair only.' She frowned but agreed. We finished lunch and I took a quick shower so that my hair could dry some while I was waiting for Marie to finish taking hers. When she got out, she sat me down, plugged in three different curling irons and began to brush out my hair. After half an hour, she finally had my hair curled and put it into a tail. She put a gold headband on me and took three chains of golden rhinestones and draped them around my tail and attached them to the ends of my headband.

With my hair finished, she began on hers and I began to paint my nails with clear polish. Once my nails had dried, I put on make-up (au-natural, of course) and put on my red prom dress. My dress was a halter top with a low neckline and a very low back. On the back, a red ribbon crisscrossed up to my shoulder blades, where it tied. On the front was a lovely red and gold beadwork that looked like roses with golden leaves.

I was ready a little earlier than Marie, but she was ready by the time our dates arrived. At 6, the doorbell rang and I answered it to see James and Derek. James and Derek both had shaggy blonde hair. James had dark brown eyes and was about six foot tall and Derek was only an inch taller than me and he had pale blue eyes. But both were athletically built.

'Hey, James,' said Marie as she came up behind me and planted a kiss on his cheek. She had a typical black and pastel blue gown with a princess style to it. She quickly adjusted James' pastel tie. I looked at Derek and noticed that both his vest and tie were white.

'Hi, Derek,' I said, adding an awkward smile.

'You look beautiful,' he replied.

'You look really handsome,' I said in turn.

'Kids!' called my mom from the living room, 'outside for pictures.'

I frowned. _Stinking Parents and their pictures._

'Let's go,' said Marie, taking James' arm and leading the way.

Derek offered his arm to me and I took it.

We finally got to the restaurant at seven and ate a quick meal to get to the Grand  
March on time. Since we were the last to arrive, we were the last to go through the March. I stood with Derek and watched two of the most preppy and annoying classmates be crowned king and queen and they danced. I was pulled off to the side this time to get pictures with my best friends Kait, Courtney, Jen, and their dates. After the royalty's dance, the parents left and I joined my friends on the dance floor for a couple of fast songs.

Once the first slow song came on, I found Derek and we danced (okay, it was honestly him putting his arms around my waist, mine around his neck, and we waddled in circles). As we danced, I gazed up into his eyes, barely noticing that the entire room had disappeared and my classmates had faded. When I looked away, I found, to my horror that I was in Dracula's castle at his ball, and vampires in elegant dress danced around us. When I looked back at Derek, I found that he had changed into Dracula.

I felt his grip tighten on me and he pressed me closer to his body.

'Erica,' he whispered, 'you cannot believe how long I have waited for this moment.'

I released him and stepped back, attempting to get out of his arms. But they lingered around me, so I quickly brushed them off.

'Erica, what's wrong?' Derek asked. I quickly glanced around and saw that everything was back to normal and that I was still in the high school gym at prom.

'I'll be right back,' I promised as I felt my cheeks burn as they blushed. My head began to feel light as I hurried across the dance floor to the hall where the girls' locker room and bathroom were. I passed the bathroom, knowing that all the girls would be in there, primping themselves for their dates. But the locker room would be empty because they lacked sufficient mirrors.

I sat on the nearest bench in the locker room and buried my face into my hands.

'It was only a hallucination, not real. Dracula is dead, you saw Van Helsing kill him, yourself.'

'Erica?' I froze as my heart began to race at the familiar voice. I slowly lifted my head to see a very familiar face.

'Carl, what are you doing here?'

'Looking for you,' he replied. He glanced around the room, 'do you live here?'

'No, Carl. This is a girl's locker room, where girls get ready for gym and sports.'

'You play sports in that attire?' I noticed that his eyes were wandering lower than my face, so I quickly placed my right hand over my low neckline.

'No.'

'I see that you are still wearing Van Helsing's ring,' he observed. My eyes flickered down. _I had forgotten that I had put it on._

'Yeah, what of it?' I glanced around the room. 'Where is he?' My chest felt much lighter and my heart leapt at the thought of seeing him again.

'Well, that would be why I am here.'

'I thought that it was to find me.'

'Yes, because Van Helsing is missing.' My heart dropped to my feet.

'Missing? How? When?'

'During a mission in London almost a week ago.'

'So, you are saying that I get to return to your time period?' He nodded. I jumped up and walked up to him and prodded him in the arm. He frowned at me as I smiled. I was sincerely glad to feel actual flesh and cloth beneath my fingertips. It mean that this was all real, not a dream.

'This isn't a dream,' I explained.

'Of course not. Now, we must hurry for they are very impatient.' He hurried to the lockers where he began to dig into his pocket.

'"They"? Who are "they"?'

'The Order.'

'You told them about me?'

'You very well couldn't think that I could lie to them when Van Helsing returned without his ring and speaking about a stranger who knew about his story.' I paused.

'He talked about me?' My heart lifted again.

'Complained about you really,' said Carl. He noticed that my face had a far off look to it and he added, 'don't get any ideas. You know very well that he is an angel in human form. He cannot love a mortal.'

'If he is an angel, then why can't he save himself?' Carl sighed in frustration.

'Because he is trapped within the limitations of a mortal body. And if he dies, our world would be overrun by demonic creatures.'

'Okay, okay, I get the point,' I said hurriedly. 'Now, how do we get back?'

'By this,' he said, producing a small glass vial filled with an orange liquid. He threw it at the wall of lockers. A wall of opaque silver smoke ascended from the liquid and when it had disappeared, nothing had changed.

'Nothing happened,' I commented, raising an eyebrow.

'You just walk into the wall and it will take you to the Vatican,' he explained.

'Are you sure?'

'Positive.' I nodded and began to walk to it when Carl stopped me.

'You are not going dressed as that, are you?'

'What else do you currently propose that I wear?' I asked.

'I don't know. Something modest, perhaps?' he suggested.

'It is either this or naked. Now, come on.' I walked to the locker and pressed my hand against it and it went through it. I took in a deep breath and took a step forward, plunging myself into a wall of dull gray.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Order**

At first, everything around me was absolutely artic. Then everything when black before it obtained an orange and yellow glow to it and my surroundings became comfortably warm. A scene appeared, a laboratory and a blacksmith shop, full of sooty monks, rabbis, priests, etc. They all seemed too busy to notice that two people had just walked through the wall.

'Wow,' I gasped, 'this is awesome.'

My eyes wandered form table to table, each laden with strange apparatus, most of which, I'm definite could be used as a type of weapon.

'Yes, yes, quite so,' said Carl quickly from behind me. 'Here, put this on.'

I turned to see that he held out a floor length coat not unlike Van Helsing's.

'I'm not cold,' I replied.

'Either put the coat on or you will change into an itchy friar's robe.' I frowned and grabbed the coat, shoving my arms into it. I buttoned a few of the top ones and looked at Carl for approval.

'Better?'

'Much,' he nodded.

'Miss Townsend, I presume,' said a heavily accented voice from behind me. I turned to see the cardinal (whose name always seems to escape me.)

'Call me Erica,' I automatically corrected him.

'Miss Townsend,' he insisted, ignoring my request, 'is it safe to assume that Friar Carl filled you in?' _Definitely didn't like this guy._

'Yes, although, I feel as though some details had been excluded.'

'And you want questions answered, yes?'

'Yes.' He nodded and gestured for me to follow him. He walked past me and I noticed a bit of pastel color flicker in this dark setting before disappearing as soon as it had appeared. I frowned.

'Cardinal, could I have a moment?' And before he could answer, I walked off to the wall where Carl and I had walked though just moments before.

There was nothing out of place around me until I looked down and saw the tip of a silver shoe under a lab table.

'You can come out now, Kait,' I said as I took a step backwards. She crawled out and stood. As she brushed off her pastel blue skirt, she said, 'you better come out too.'

I watched as Marie and Courtney crawled out as well.

'What are you guys doing here?' I demanded.

'We followed you here,' replied Kait.

'You followed me? I cannot believe this. You have got to go back.' I took Kait's arm and began to drag her back to the wall.

'Why?' asked Courtney as Kait yanked her arm out of my grasp.

'Why? It's too dangerous.'

'Then you are coming too,' replied Marie.

'I can't.'

'Is there a problem?' asked the Cardinal as he approached us.

'No. They were just leaving.'

'They can't,' said Carl. I turned to him.

'Why can't they leave?'

'The portal already closed.'

'The open another.'

'I have no more potion,' he replied. 'And no more ingredients. Even if I did, it would take me at least a week to acquire the correct mixture.'

'So, we are stuck here for a week?' came a voice behind me.

'Derek? James?' I said with a mixture of fury and surprise as I turned around. 'So much for privacy in the girl's locker room.'

'Hey, we were worried,' said Derek.

'So we followed,' added James. I walked to the wall and pressed my hand against it, just to make sure that the portal had, in fact, closed.

'Cardinal, my friends need a place to stay in the meantime, while I'm in London,' I said.

'What?' chorused six voices. I expected the first five by the final one, the one from the Cardinal, surprised me. I turned to him.

'Where do you expect me to house women dressed as harlots and these gentlemen?' he explained.

'These, Cardinal,' I replied, feeling anger rise in me, 'are my friends and sister. You will treat all of them with the respect you show me or you will forget about my help. Got it?'

'Of course,' he replied hastily, 'but where do I house them?'

'Give them robes of the convent and monasteries and house them with Nuns and Monks.'

'But, are they not accompanying you?'

'No. They stay here,' I looked at my friends and added, 'end of discussion.'

'Friar Carl,' said the Cardinal, 'escort Miss Townsend's friends to the three rooms in corridor six, next to Miss Townsend's room. Also, acquire some more modest clothing for them.' Carl nodded at the Cardinal's orders.

'Come along,' he said as he began to shuffle away. My friends followed him and when Kait passed me, she whispered to me, 'we'll talk asap, 'kay?'

'Yeah.' I watched them as they headed up a staircase on the opposite end of the room before the Cardinal said, 'follow me, Miss Townsend.'

'It's Erica,' I replied but followed him nonetheless. We headed up a pair of separate stairs halfway across the room. After he led me up three flights of stairs, through four hallways, as well as many twists and turns, we finally arrived at an office.

There was a long oval table with a dozen or so chairs surrounding it inside. The walls were covered with elaborately carved, dark oak shelves, and were filled with books. He took a seat and motioned for me to do the same.

'Your friends presence presents a problem,' he began as he leaned back.

'They will stay in their rooms.'

'That is not what I am worried about. What concerns me is that I have already bent multiple rules by allowing you here. But your friends accompanying you may have broken more rules than anticipated. With their presence, things can change for the worst.'

'Or, for the better,' I added, optimistically.

'Any minor change at this time could cause a drastic change in your time.'

'Nothing will change, Cardinal,' I assured him. 'Now, what about Van Helsing? I need to know everything.'

'As soon as Van Helsing had returned from that fiasco in Transylvania…'

'It wasn't a fiasco,' I interrupted.

'Would you like an answer to your question or not?' he snapped. I shut my mouth and he proceeded, 'after that fiasco in Transylvania, Van Helsing seemed changed. He was quiet, more than usual, and he only consulted in Friar Carl. When the high members of the order approached him with the issue of Frankenstein's monster, he grew anger and began to rant about what should and should be killed. We argued about what actually determines good and evil, virtue and sin. The first mission that arose, he accepted and left.'

'What mission is that?'

'He was to go to London to seek out and kill the creatures preying the citizens. He had corresponded with us every few days up until a week ago.'

'What kind of creatures was he to hunt?'

'We suspect werewolves,' he replied. The image of Van Helsing howling at the moon, holding Anna's limp body came to mind. I shuddered.

'I must leave as soon as possible,' I said.

'Our thoughts exactly. But, it may take a week for your training.'

'A week? Van Helsing could be dead by then,' I snapped. 'Is there any quicker way?'

'The voyage itself is a week.'

'Is that the fastest you have?' I asked, my voice rising a little higher than normal. 'Is there anything quicker?'

'Not currently.' He stood and said in a calm but commanding voice, 'you are tired, Miss Townsend. Edvard will escort you to your room'

He pulled on a tassel near the door and a few seconds later the door opened.

A little boy stepped in and the Cardinal spoke in rapid Latin to him (the only type of Latin I know is Pig Latin). The boy signaled for me to follow him and I stood and followed him out the door and down the hall. He, too, led me through several halls, down a flight of stairs, and through two most halls before he opened my door.

'Here, you room,' he spoke in broken English, 'companion next door.' He waved his tan hand towards the four other doors down the hall.

'Thank you,' I replied and headed into my room and closed the door. I glanced around the room and found my settings fairly elegant, but then again, I was in the Vatican in Rome. The furniture in there included a large bed, nightstand, dresser, two plush chairs, a wash pan with pitcher and cloth, and a fairly large mirror. On the bed were two gowns and a hunting costume.

I washed off my makeup and dressed into the hunting costume. This consisted of a pair of small black breeches, a dark long sleeved shirt, a tight leather vest (similar to a bodice) and knee-high boots which I tucked my pants into. I undid my hair, rinsed it, and let it hang loose to dry, not really caring if it turned into a frizz ball or not.

**The Truth Revealed**

I was about to head out when someone knocked at the door. I opened it to see Kait, Courtney, Marie, James, and Derek. I welcomed them in and noticed that each of them wore robes from either the nuns or friars.

'Why does she get to wear pants?' complained James, motioning to his current attire. I almost laughed.

'What's all going on, Erica,' asked Marie.

'Do you really want to know?'

'Of course,' said Kait. I sighed.

'Fine. Last Halloween, when we were in the park before the dance and I jumped out of the swing, I landed in the Van Helsing movie. At first I thought it was a dream or hallucination…' I quickly explained what had happened before going into what Carl and the Cardinal had told me.

'You got sucked into Van Helsing?' asked James. I nodded. 'That friggin awesome.'

'I thought that you seemed different that night,' said Kait, 'and I thought that I recognized that ring too.'

'So…' said Courtney, looking at everyone. 'When are we going to London?'

'"We"? What "we"?' I asked. 'I thought that I had made it perfectly clear that this was an entirely solo thing.'

'And we decided that you aren't going alone,' replied Marie.

'It's way too dangerous.'

'Not if we all stick together,' she added.

'We will stick out like a sore thumb.' There was a knock at my door. I crossed the room quickly and opened the door to see Carl. I invited him in and quickly said, 'Carl, tell them that it's too dangerous for them to go.'

'Well…' he began and looked away.

_I cannot believe this, he is agreeing with them!_

'Carl thinks that we should go,' insisted Courtney. 'The more of us, the easier it will be to find Van Helsing.'

'And for those creatures to find us, we stick out! How can six teenagers from the 21st century blend in in 19th century London?'

'Easily,' replied Carl, 'you just dress with the times and keep your mouths shut.'

'Thanks Carl,' I replied sarcastically.

'You are welcome,' he replied. I rolled my eyes.

'You are all staying here,' I said, walking to the door, 'end of discussion.' I exited the room before another word was said and was halfway down the hall…

'Wait,' called Derek as he jogged after me.

_Derek? Wait, Derek. I thought that it would be Kait or Courtney or even Marie. But Derek?_

I paused and he caught up with me.

'Come one, let's go to mine and James' room for a moment. I would really like to talk.' He gestured to the door on my right. He opened it and we went in. He closed it behind us and sat on the bed, patting the spot next to him. I sat next to him.

'What did you want to talk about?' I asked after a moment of silence?

'Everything. I just don't know where to start.'

'How about at the beginning?' I suggested.

'Why did you freak out during the dance?' _Why did he have to start with that one?_

'Ever since Dracula attempted to make me into his immortal bride, I have had these nightmares about him. And I'll occasionally see him during normal activities if my guard is let down. When we were dancing, the couples surrounding us became the vampires from Dracula's ball and you became Dracula. I kinda freaked out.'

'How do we know that this, all this, isn't a dream?' he asked.

'The same exact way I figured it out.' I pulled my hair over my other shoulder and showed him the two marks on my neck, 'this still remains from my previous visit. As well as this ring,' I held up my finger with the ring, 'and a coat, clothes, and jewelry.'

'Then that settles everything.'

'What settles what?'

'We all go to London or none.'

'Wait, what?' I really didn't understand where that had come from.

'It is dangerous here. And someone can get injured or even killed. Who knows how long we will be together or even here. Plus, you can't protect yourself.'

'I can too!'

'Can you fire a pistol?' _Uh…_

'Not really.'

'Sword fight?' _Crap_

'No.'

'Do martial arts?' _Got me there._

'Um…no.' I paused, 'can you?'

'I go hunting all the time with my dad and I have a black belt in Karate.'

'But, still…'

'No buts. We all go, whether you like it or not. That's final.' He then smirked and added, 'end of discussion.'

I attempted to hide my smile but it didn't work.

'Fine,' I replied, 'But you have to train me with everything that you know.' I stood to leave, thinking that the discussion was finished. Derek stood as well and said, 'when are you telling everyone?'

'At supper,' I replied simply with a smirk, 'they can wait, you think?'

I opened his door and walked out into the hall as Carl hurried towards me.

'Erica, the Cardinal requests your immediate presence.' He then turned and began to lead the way. Without a look at Derek, I hurried to catch up with him.

'For what? Why?' I asked.

'He wouldn't tell me without you.'

I almost stopped as an image of Van Helsing's cold, lifeless body came to mind. _Was he dead?_

I quickened my pace and soon began to run. Carl followed behind me at a slower pace. When I arrived at the door, I knocked and waited for the Cardinal to call for me to enter. Carl arrived just as the Cardinal did so and we both went in.

'Miss Townsend, Friar Carl, please come in,' said the Cardinal. Carl and I went in, closing the door behind us. The Cardinal motioned for us to sit and we did.

'I have received word that a vessel bound for London leaves tonight. It is a speed craft and the voyage will only take two days. The only flaw is that there is only room for two passengers.'

'Well,' I began hesitantly, 'we need seven.'

'I knew that would be your decision, so I arranged for five spots on the vessel departing in the morning. It will take a week to arrive.'

'I assume that Carl is to accompany me?'

'Wait,' interrupted Carl, 'Van Helsing was a friend to me, better than many, but you cannot expect me to go to London. I'm not a field man.'

The Cardinal opened his mouth to reply, but I beat him to it.

'It is all right. I will get a friend to accompany me. That way, you can get everything together tonight for the trip in the morning.'

'I can't,' said Carl.

'But you will,' replied the Cardinal. 'I now leave this expedition in the capable hands of Miss Townsend. You will obey her orders, understood?'

'Yes, Cardinal,' replied Carl in a submissive voice.

'What time do I leave?' I queried.

'Your carriage leaves in fifty minutes. I expect for your clothing to be packed, as well as your traveling companion's. Carl, on the other hand, will assist you by gathering supplies for you to hunt with.' He waved his hand in a manner that I took as a dismissal. Carl and I stood and left. Once we were out of the conference room, I pulled Carl off to the side and said, 'I didn't mean to pull you into this, Carl. But I really do need your help.'

'I know,' he replied, 'but I won't be much help in the field.'

'I'll get the muscles covered, I just need the brain to tell them what to do.' I offered him a smile and added, 'now get going, gather daggers, pistols, silver bullets, and a few stakes for tonight's bag. Bring anything else you can think of on your voyage tomorrow.'

'Who are you taking with you tonight?' he asked as I turned to leave. The answer popped into my head quickly.

'Derek.' I froze as this left my lips. _Why had I said him? Why not Marie or Kait or Courtney?_

'You best hurry then. I'll see if I can gather some gentlemen's clothing, shall I?'

And with this, he hurried in the opposite direction.

My first stop from there was to Derek's room. He answered quickly and I asked to come in. He welcomed me in and I was surprised to see James in there.

'Um, may I have a quick word, in private? Out here, maybe?' he nodded and followed me out, closing the door behind me.

'In about 45 minutes, a fast ship will be leaving for London, getting there in two days. There are only two spots open and I'm taking one. I was wondering if..' my voice trailed off.

'If I would like to come too?' finished Derek. I nodded. He smirked, 'of course. But what of the rest.'

'They will be going in the morning, and the voyage will be a week in length. Carl will go with them, but he is now gathering basic weapons for us. And clothing for you.'

'Real clothing, no robes?' he asked. I nodded. He smiled, 'thank goodness. But why isn't Carl going with you?'

'Because he is not a field man. He is an observer not a doer. And I may need help with weaponry. Who better than you, right?'

'I suppose,' he shrugged.

'Anyway, I had better go and pack, and you should too,' I then opened the door.

'Wait, pack what?' he asked.

'Carl ought to be bringing you some clothes.' I turned and walked down the hall to my room. I carefully put the dresses into a trunk that was provided, along with a brush, combs, etc. It took me ten minutes to pack, so I headed to Derek's room to see how the packing was going for him. I knocked on the door and it opened. I looked past James and saw that everyone was in there. So, I headed inside and began to say my goodbyes to everyone.

Kait, Marie, Courtney and I were off in one corner as I explained everything that I could to them.

'You are taking Derek?' asked Courtney.

'Yea, why?' I asked. They looked at each other.

'I sense something between them,' added Kait.

'And that would be nothing,' I stood. 'Anyway, I oughta go and check on Carl, to see what he as accomplished in packing.'

I opened the door and saw Carl's fist poised to knock.

'Hello, Carl,' I said. He looked at me and I saw a bit of relief wash over his face.

'Good, I finally found you. Have you packed?'

'Yeah, why?'

'You leave in five minutes, that's why.'

'Five minutes!' I paused, 'it's already been fifty minutes?'

'Yes, those minutes are gone. Now, quickly, say your farewells.' I nodded and turned.

'Derek, time to go!' I called.

My friends, sister, James, and Derek all jumped to their feet at once and we began to say our goodbyes. After this finished, we followed Carl down to the carriage with our belongings. And just as we were about to close the door, Carl shoved a duffel bag sized pack onto the floor and said, 'you may need these.'

'Thank you, Carl. And see you in a week,' I said.

'Safe voyage, Erica and Derek,' he called back, closing the door. The carriage took off from its underground loading station and within a few minutes we were at a dock. From there, Derek and I unloaded our few bags into a small stay room, with two beds, aboard the minuscule speed boat that was filled with some somewhat perishable items. The ship pulled its anchor and then we set sail.


	3. Chapter 3

**Trip to London**

Derek and I watched as we sailed away from Rome and then crawled into our beds to be rocked into an uneasy sleep. The seasickness hit me quickly and unexpectedly near dawn. I hurried to the nearest bucket and upchucked into it. Derek heard me sobbing into the bucked a few minutes later and came to comfort me. After I had finally emptied my stomach, I asked him, hoarsely, 'don't you feel queasy at all?'

'Nope.' This resilience to this horrific seasickness made me angry, but there was nothing that I could do about it.

My stomach seemed to become quite settled when Derek ate breakfast. I went without it and asked him to show me how to defend myself. He agreed to do so and within an hour we were on deck and he was showing me pressure points and different holds. A few of them were quite simple but several were much more complicated and, therefore, took much longer to learn.

The day melted away into night (with multiple heavings of an empty stomach) and we joined the eight-man crew on deck and watched them play cards. When the moon shown for an hour in the sky, a big burley redhead asked us to play. We both politely refused but when they kept insisting, Derek joined in. I, on the other hand, was quite exhausted but I wasn't ready for bed, so I headed to the pile of crates at the front of the ship. I climbed up on one and leaned against another, staring out into the sea as I began to dwell on memories of the past year. Especially what had happened since Halloween.

_"Come on, you hermit," taunted Kait, "let's go out."_

_"I don't want to," I replied shortly, annoyed at her recent take to whining._

_"It's just John's house," added Courtney, "And if anything bad happens, we'll just leave."_

_"I don't know…" I trailed off, trying to think of a good way to tell them off._

_"Where is your sense of adventure?" asked Courtney._

' "Where is your sense of adventure?",' I scoffed and then sighed. 'Oh, Courtney, if only you would have known what had happened that night. I had my adventure, watched Anna die, knowing that I could have saved her.'

I felt my tears well up in my eyes, so I gazed up at the full moon and blinked a few times to get rid of them

'Lovely, isn't it?' asked a voice behind me

'Quite,' I turned to see a young man, about my age, looking up at the silver orb. He had long copper hair, deep brown eyes, and the beginnings of a beard on his youthful face. Yet, something about him looked familiar.

"You are Erica Townsend, are you not?'

'Yes,' I replied.

_How did he know my name?_

'The same one who helped the Valerious family?'

_Oh, shit. Who is this guy?_

'Yes, why?'

'I would like to thank you. I have heard that you had assisted them by killing Count Dracula. The entire town and country is grateful for it, but none have been able to find you since.'

'Oh, um, thank you…and who are you?' _Wow, you're blunt…_

'How rude of me,' he apologized, 'my name is Van.'

'Is there a last name that goes with that?'

'None that I know of. I had the majority of my memory lost almost six months ago. All I know is my name.'

'That's depressing.'

'Yes, more than you know,' he cocked his head to the side, 'but you remind me of someone I once knew.'

'I'm sure that I do. Could it be Princess Anna Valerious?'

'It's a possibility.'

We talked for almost 1½ hour before Derek practically escorted me to bed. And before I blew out the candle, I noticed that his back was to me as he lay in bed.

The next day, Derek trained me again, but this time how to shoot a gun. But he used as few words as possible to do this. This bothered me. During lunch, I finally confronted him about it.

'Is there something wrong?' I asked, taking a sip of water (I had practically lived on a form of bread that tasted like saltine crackers and water).

'No, why do you ask?' he didn't even look up from his sandwich as he said this.

'One, you haven't even said anything conversational all day. And, two, you can't even look me in the eyes.'

'There is nothing to talk about,' he replied as he stood and headed for the railing. I frowned.

_What is his problem?_

'Hi, Miss Townsend,' said Van, as he took Derek's now empty chair.

'Call me Erica,' I replied automatically.

'Is something the matter with your husband?' he asked.

'My husband? Why do you think that?' I asked, surprised.

'Sorry, I just assumed…' he paled and I laughed.

'That's fine. I suppose that it is unnatural for Derek and I to share a room without being married.'

'I suppose,' replied Van with a shrug. I glanced at Derek and our eyes met. As soon as our eyes met, I immediately knew and almost blushed.

_Derek is jealous of Van. _I almost smacked my head. _How could I be so blind? But he couldn't like me that much…could he?_

'What are you going to do in London?' asked Van. I looked at him again.

'We are meeting up with a friend.'

'Ever been there before?' I shook my head.

'But I suppose that there is a first for everything,' I replied, shrugging. 'Are you going to stay in London to look for family?'

'I don't quite know for sure.'

'Why don't you?' I suggested, 'maybe my friend may recognize you.'

'Why not?' he looked past me at Derek and I looked as well. Derek was still leaving over the railing. I inhaled deeply before asking Van, 'how much longer before London?'

'About eight more hours, I think. A little after nightfall.'

'Okay, I'll talk to you later, Van,' I replied and stood and walked to join Derek.

I mimicked Derek, leaning over the railing, and said, 'ship will dock after nightfall.' When he said nothing, I continued, 'perfect weather for sailing, isn't it?' Again, no reply. To test him to see if he was actually paying attention, I said in a low tone, 'as soon as we get to London, Van is going to take me to dinner. He asked to court me.'

'What?' he was now looking at me with fire in his eyes. I smiled.

'Ha, got you talking.' It took him a second before he realized that I was joking. He then frowned and gazed out across the tranquil, unending ocean.

'Seriously, what is wrong? You can tell me,' I said gently.

'It's nothing.'

'It's something,' I insisted.

'Don't worry about it,' he turned to me and offered me a smile, 'ready to continue?'

I nodded and we began our training again, talking and joking as though nothing had happened.

_Men are the most strange and complicated breed of humanity._

**London**

That evening, Van accompanied us off the ship and all three of us headed for the Inn, which, as it turns out, Carl had told Derek that four rooms had been reserved for us at The Rogue Inn. The Rogue Inn was near the dock and was barely visible from the ship due to all the smog. Van and Derek flanked me, as thought protecting me, as we headed into London to the Inn to settle down in our rooms for the night.

As it were, I was still recovering from my bouts of seasickness, so I wasn't in the mood to eat or sleep, so I headed out into London with my "bodyguard", Derek. We were both laden with weapons and we had left Van at the Inn, telling him that we had a meeting that we had to attend to.

After a few minutes of strolling the streets together, I heard a howl, followed by a blood-curdling shriek. Without thinking twice, I sprinted towards the sounds, ignoring Derek calling for me to wait. The scream rang through the night a second time, this time to my left, in the alley. I turned the corner and skidded to a halt when I saw a huge shaggy gray dog a few feet inside. It stood over a body.

The dog ignored its victim, put its snout into the air and sniffed before it turned to me and snarled.

'Another hunter.'

I froze. _Did that dog just speak to me?_

I quickly grabbed at the gun at my belt, fumbling with the holster's securing strap to pull the pistol out. I finally pulled it out as the dog bound for me. It knocked me to the ground and then vanished onto the street.

I laid on the ground for a moment, recovering my senses, and trying to figure out what had just happened. _A dog had just spoken to me and then jumped me._

I slowly sat up as I heard Derek's footsteps approach from behind. I felt him grab my arms and help me up.

'Erica, are you al right?'

'I think so.' Once I was steady on my feet, he released me and glanced out onto the street.

'What was that thing?' I bent over and picked up my pistol, and brushed it off before putting it back into my holster. I loosely put the strap back on and then looked up at the young woman slumped over against the wall. I could tell by the extreme dark coloration around her neck that her throat had been torn out.

'Werewolf,' I replied simple as I took a few steps towards her. I crouched down next to her. The air around her smelt of blood and I wrinkled my nose. I dislike the smell and taste the substance and this was no different. I carefully reached out and pulled back her dark curly hair from her face and neck.

'Is she…' he stepped up behind me.

'Yes, Derek, she is dead,' I confirmed. This girl was my age, possibly, and of middle class. Her dark hair reminded me, for some reason, of Anna. And her dark, large eyes, now lifeless, were like Anna's as well. Suddenly Anna's body replaced the girl's. My breath quickened as I heard a voice echo in my mind. _You could have saved her, you killed her. You murderer!_

I cried out as I tried to get away from the body. I scrambled backwards and fell my butt before crawling backwards until I stepped on my hand and fell. At this, I curled up into a ball and buried my face and began to sob.

'Erica?' I felt Derek touch my shoulder and I stopped crying and looked up at his bright blue eyes. 'What's wrong?'

I glanced over at the body of the young girl; Anna's was no longer there. I shivered once and wiped the tears from my eyes and stood. I brushed off my pants as I said, 'we need to get out of here before the police arrive and we become prime suspects.'

'Good idea,' he said. We then snuck out of the alley and hurried back to the Inn. I didn't say a word but I could see Derek giving me sideways looks, as though he was waiting for me to break down. As soon as we got to the Inn, I said goodnight and headed into my room. Without changing my clothes or pulling down my covers, I lay onto the bed and gazed at the dark ceiling. I couldn't go to sleep because that horrifyingly gory image plagued my mind.

_Who was she? Did she have a family? Friends? And why was she chosen to die, in a city with thousands of girls? Why was she chosen to be hunted down and ruthlessly slaughter?_

_And I? Why wasn't I killed as well? _This bothered me the most. _The wolf had its chance and ignored it. And it spoke. Do werewolves speak? And those words "Another hunter"? Did that mean that he knew where Van Helsing was?_

I silently cursed. _Why hadn't I shot at it? I could have injured the accursed thing and questioned it. But now, it will go back to its leader and I may disappear as well. But, if I disappeared…would I go to be with Van Helsing or would I be killed?_

'No,' I shook my head and turned over to my left side, 'deliberately getting captured is not an option.'

I closed my eyes as exhaustion finally took its toll on me and I drifted into a dreamless sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, I cleaned myself with the cold water in the pitcher, brushed my hair, and put on a powder blue dress. I then headed down the Inn's stairs to the tavern where I sat down with Van for breakfast. Derek was nowhere in sight.

'First one up?' I asked and he nodded.

'How was your meeting last night?'

'Interesting,' I replied as the tavern's wife placed a bowl of porridge in front of me. I put my spoon in it and said, 'how was your night?'

'Good,' he replied, 'but I heard werewolves last night and there has been talk of a dead girl, from the sound of it, she's not the first. You weren't possibly out looking for those wolves, were you?'

'How'd you know?' I was seriously impressed.

'No respectable woman who wears men's clothing and assists Van Helsing, would come to London and not hunt the wolves here.'

'Good guess,' I smiled.

'So, where is the infamous hunter?' I looked down at my porridge as a pang of hurt hit my chest. I replied in a small voice, 'I don't know.'

'He's missing?' he asked in a loud voice and then lowered his voice. 'He's missing?'

'We think that the werewolves took him. And I'm going to go out every evening and most days to search for him.'

'You can't go out alone,' he said, as though the thought was scandalous.

'And why not?' I asked.

'You need protection. You cannot defend yourself.' I felt anger flare up in me (it's the feminist inside of me that shines out occasionally).

'Because I'm a girl?' my voice was raised a little.

'Uh…yea?' he offered.

'Just because I am a girl,' I said in a low voice before standing and saying louder, 'I AM NOT WEAK!' I then stomped out the door and out into the streets.

I was angry, very angry, and why wouldn't I be? I was just called weak because I am of the female gender.

To calm down, I headed for the river and stood on the banks while I watched the flow of it. I became quickly mesmerized how it flowed over the rocks in the shallow parts of the river. I took in a deep breath and almost gagged (which brought me back to reality from my calm, fantasy state of mind) at all the smog in the air.

'Relaxing, isn't it?' asked a small, British woman's voice from behind me. I turned to see a woman in her twenties, pale, flaxen hair and green eyes.

'Somewhat,' I replied.

'Are you new around here?' she asked, stepping towards me. I nodded. And she continued, 'then you might want to check out Chesterfield's maze. It's a great way to relax and is public property.'

'Oh, where is it?' I asked. I really wanted to see this maze. I have never, ever been to a full-size maze, just a corn maze when I was about 13.

'I will show you,' she said as waved for me to follow her as she turned. I walked with her as she said, 'by the way, I'm Anastasia Bureau.'

'Erica Townsend. Pleased to meet you.'

'Where are you from, Miss Townsend?' she asked.

'Here and there,' I replied casually, 'I'm a lone traveler.' She stopped and I took a couple of steps before I noticed. I stopped and looked at her.

'You are a hunter?' she asked, surprised. My heart dropped a little. _Was that going to be a problem?_

'Is there a problem?'

'No, that is amazing, especially….'

'Since I'm a girl,' I finished.

'No, at times like these.' She began to walk again and I asked, 'what has all been going on?'

'Surely you know.'

'No. I haven't really been told much,' I admitted.

'Well, for the past six months, our part of the city has been plagued with horrific murders. Mostly women with their throats torn out.'

'Werewolves,' I muttered. She nodded.

'Aye, but at first the blame went to Vampires.'

'Has anyone gone missing?'

'Only one.'

'A man?' I asked and she nodded. _Van Helsing_

'A friend of yours?' she asked.

'Yes.'

'Here we are,' she said, stopping. I looked up to see a large archway that served as an opening between two tall hedges.

'Oh, that was quick,' I remarked, surprised.

'It was only a couple blocks away,' she admitted. 'But I must be on my way. Do you mind if I leave you alone here?'

'I don't mind, thank you.' I smiled and she returned the smile.

'If ever you need me, just ask around,' she said as she turned to leave. I watched as she walked away and waited until she turned the corner before I looked at the opening to the maze. I gazed at the dark opening and took a step forward. The first wall I met, I turned right and followed the path until the next turn, which I took to the left this time. It wasn't too much longer before I found a bench and I plopped down on it.

My mind began to clear from the all the stressful events that I had had the past few days.

_Prom, Derek, Van Helsing, that girl's murder, and now Van is in the picture. Derek, Van Helsing, and Van, three amazing guys, all of which I am currently crushing on. But, who would be the best for me?_

I frowned. _I didn't want to decide, and why should I now? At this exact moment? Plus, I have other more pressing matters, more important items, like finding Van Helsing._

_But where to find him?_

I closed my eyes and leaned back against the hedge.

_I had no leads, whatsoever; except that it's the werewolves who did it, but where do they hide? And, would Van Helsing be there? Even if I did find a way there, how could I fight a coven full of Werewolves? What about including Derek and Van?_

I smiled.

_They would look hot fighting._

I let out a low, frustrated growl and buried my face into my hands. _Why was I thinking about that again?_

I heard something rustling the hedge behind me, so I jumped up and looked around to see nothing. The hedge moved again and a pigeon flew out.

'It's only a damn bird,' I cursed, happy that that was all it was. Suddenly, without warning, something heavy came in contact with my head and I fell unconscious.

_'Hello, my dear,' said a velvety Romanian accent. I turned around and around in the total darkness until I saw a brilliantly white figure. The light that this figure radiated was, more or less, blinding. But when I saw that it held out its hand, I grabbed it. As soon as our hands touched, the light faded and I was back at my house, in my room. And I was holding hands with Dracula._

_I screamed and took a step back and fell onto my bed._

_'Erica, you have no need to worry,' he said, taking a careful step towards me. I began to crawl backwards until I hit the wall that my bed was against._

_'No need to worry? You tried to kill me!'_

_'Erica, I am now only a spirit, or an apparition. I cannot harm you.' I raised an eyebrow._

_'I still don't trust you.'_

_'I understand,' he replied. We glared at each other for a moment before I got the guts to ask, 'why are you here, anyway?'_

_'To assist you. It's my current penance.' I rolled my eyes._

_'How can you help me?'_

_'Ask me anything.' The first question popped quickly into my head._

_'Where is Van Helsing?'_

_'You shall know as soon as you awake.'_

_'I thought that you were going to help me.'_

_'I am.' _

_'Fine, where are the werewolves?'_

_'You shall know as soon as you awake,' he repeated. I pursed my lips together to prevent myself from yelling at him, but he was trying my patience. Instead, I glared at him._

_'Okay, but you could you at least explain why Van looks so familiar to me?'_

_He smirked, 'you have never personally met him, in person, until now.' _

_That was the last straw._

_'Why can't you just talk in plain English?' I demanded._

_'Because,' he said smiling wider, 'I can.' He bowed mockingly, 'farewell, Erica darling, until we next meet.'_

_Everything began to fade and the darkness settled back in._

'Erica?' asked a frantic, yet familiar voice. 'Are you alright?'

The voice was soft, gentle, and deep, but it quickly turned to rage as it demanded, 'what did you do to her?'

'She merely received a hit on the head,' replied a mildly familiar female voice, 'nothing more.'

'You could have killed her,' growled the man's voice.

I opened my eyes slowly and saw that I was staring directly into a lit lantern. I winced, closing my eyes tightly. I turned my head and reopened my eyes.

Once the spots disappeared, I saw a dark figure grasping bars at the large cell door.

_Wait, cell door?_

The figure was too shadowed for me to see his features, but I could see who it was talking to. Anastasia Bureau.

_Evil little witch!!!_

I attempted to sit up, but the floor began to tilt so I fell back again, passing my hand over my eyes, willing it to stop.

'What fun would there be in that?' she asked, laughing. I moved my hand and saw that she had left. The figure rested his forehead on the bars.

'Van Helsing?' I called out; knowing whom the shadowed figure was now. He turned quickly and hurried to me. The light burning above us barely illuminated his now bearded face. His eyes shone with worry and happiness.

'Erica,' he breathed as he kneeled next to me, 'how are you feeling?'

'My head feels as though its going to explode, but otherwise, I'm great. How about you?'

'The usual.' I slowly sat up and, ignoring the spinning room, I propped myself up against the wall. I then patted the bed for him to sit. He sat next to me.

'What happened?' I asked.

'With me, or you?'

'You. I already know what happened to me,' I added a small smile at the end, encouraging him to go on.

'I had just returned from Romania and I had went to the Cardinal's office to tell him the results from my mission. As soon as I got in there, Frankenstein's monster got brought up. The Cardinal and I argued whether or not I was entitled to kill it on the terms I had been given for killing. At the end, I stormed out of his office and took the first mission possible, which was here in London. I came here, where a pack of werewolves were terrorizing the citizens. I spent the past five months searching for where they were settled, until ten days ago. I was given a lead into Chesterfield's Maze, where I was attacked by several wolves and was rendered unconscious. When I awoke, I was laying in this bed.'

'Sounds a lot like my story,' I replied. 'Were you bitten?'

'No, and you weren't either,' he added, reading my mind.

'How do you know?'

'I checked.' _He did what?!?!_

'You didn't…' I began, horrified. _He saw me naked?_

'No. You had no blood on your clothing,' he replied, laughing. We were quiet for a moment before he asked, 'how have you been since our last meeting?'

I then began to tell him about everything that had happened since that night up until then. He was quiet until the end.

'Do you like this Derek?' he asked.

'Van Helsing!'

'Answer the question.' Our eyes met and I had to look away as I blushed.

'I don't know. Maybe.' I sighed, 'everything has been so different since that night.' I laid my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes, 'I had missed you so much, Van Helsing.'

A door slammed somewhere down the hall and it reverberated through the walls. I jumped up as footsteps echoed though the room. They stopped when three figures appeared. One was the petite Anastasia and the other two were huge, burley men.

'Bring them both, 'she said, shortly. The door was unlocked and the men came in. Van Helsing stood up in front of me, protectively. I stood up as well, ignoring the blood rushing from my head. I placed my hand on his arm.

'Let's go peacefully,' I suggested.

I looked up at the men and then began to walk for the door. As I passed through the doorway, I couldn't even bring myself to look at Anastasia, I was just so angry with her. She said nothing as well, and led the way to the end of the hallway. We went through the door, up a flight of stairs, through another door into a huge entrance hall. She then led us into a pair of large doors. A large ballroom, filled with men and women.

The hair on my neck stood.

We were led to the front of the room where a man stood. He had black hair, green eyes, and had a familiar look about him. _Where could I have seen him before?_

'Welcome to my home, Van Helsing and Mistress Townsend,' he welcomed us in an accented voice. 'Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ulrich Von Trappe.'

'What in the hell do you want us for?' growled Van Helsing next to me.

'I am Vladislaus Dragulia's heir,' he began.

'That must be depressing,' muttered Van Helsing, I almost smiled.

'Two years ago,' he continued, 'my master had created a being to bring his offspring to life. As rumor has it, Van Helsing, you now where this creature is.'

'I'll never allow your hell spawn to live,' he vowed.

'Who ever said that I had any to bring to life?' he asked.

'He'll never bring it to you,' I clarified. Von Trappe looked at me, smiling widely.

'That is why we waited for you, my dear.' Suddenly, hands grasped my torso and I was swept up to Von Trappe about forty feet away. 'You will be staying here, love, until we receive Frankenstein's monster.'

'Release her!' growled Van Helsing behind me. 'Your quarrel is with me.'

I attempted to throw the hands off of my waist and run for it, but I couldn't.

'You have twenty days, Van Helsing, to return with the creature,' he said as his cold hand stroked my cheek. I shuddered, 'or she gets changed.'

I turned my head from him, trying not to shudder again.

'Twenty days, Van Helsing,' he called out. I attempted to turn to see what Van Helsing was doing, but I couldn't.

'Van Helsing!' I cried out.

'I'll return, I'll save you both!' he said to me and I heard the door slam. I felt everyone's eyes looking at me, and I felt so exposed. I noticed that my breathing was quick and shallow, so I attempted to slow it down and take deep ones.

Von Trappe smiled at me, 'You know what to do, Septimus.'

My waist was released and before I could do anything, my arm was roughly grabbed and I was dragged to the opposite end of the room. I was pulled through a door, up some stairs, and through another door, down a hall, and into a bedroom chamber. Septimus threw me in the room and slammed the door behind me, locking it. I had fell upon the floor and as soon as I had regained my senses, I rushed to the door.

I pounded on the door calling out for someone to help me and to get me out of there. But, after a few minutes, I slid to the floor and began to cry.

I had to get out, but it seemed hopeless. I dried my eyes and looked up to look around my windowless chamber.

'Wow, this sucks,' I muttered and sighed, 'looks like I'm staying here for a while.'

I stood and walked towards the bed against the opposite wall.

'Do you like this room?' asked a voice at the door. I turned around to see Von Trappe.

'Release me,' I replied simply.

'No.'

'I am of no use to you.'

'But I have need of you.'

'I won't let you trade me.' _Wow, déjà vu._

'Whoever said I was planning to trade you?' The way his voice sounded as he said this sent shivers up my spine.

'Then what are you going to do with me?'

'I am going to change you,' he replied, 'but I am not sure if I want to make you into a werewolf or a vampire.'

'So, you employ werewolves?' _He just screwed up, I can kill him with his werewolves._

'There are only two werewolves, the rest are vampires in wolf form.' He smiled and tapped his temple with his finger, 'I know what you are thinking. I do not tempt fate as Dracula once did. They are all contained by bars and chains, only feasting when we do, when we go out in our wolf forms.'

'Pity,' I muttered. He walked towards me and I took a step back, matching his step for step. I was stopped when I fell onto the bed. He disappeared and reappeared next to me, sitting on the bed. He gently turned my head to face him and he stroked my cheek again.

'But what does Van Helsing hate more? Werewolves or Vampires?' he asked me softly. 'But I still have weeks to decide. So, until then,' he smiled at me and I watched as his fangs grew, 'some tastes wouldn't do harm.'

I opened my eyes wide as I watched him near me with those ferocious looking fangs. I wanted to run, but I couldn't. So, I did the next best thing. I slapped him. My hand hit his cheek, which ended up being the equivalent of marble. It made the sound of a hand slapping marble and my entire hand began to throb with pain. I winced as Von Trappe came closer to me. I leaned backwards, but he caught my head and neck, cradling them as he bit into me.

I cried out as the familiar pain returned. He drank for a while until I was to the point of passing out. When he withdrew his fangs, he picked me up and laid me gently onto the bed. He placed my hands on my stomach and softly kissed my forehead. I closed my eyes, and attempted to grimace, although I was almost too weak to do so.

'Good night, Princess,' he whispered as I fell asleep.

_The gym was full of familiar faces, my classmates and peers. And we were all dancing in unison. I felt my full ball-gown billow as I was twirled. When I made a complete circle, I was pulled back into the arms of my partner, Dracula. He was dressed the same way he was during the ball, and from what I could see, I was dressed like Anna._

_'You knew that the werewolves weren't behind all this,' I accused._

_'You had asked where they were,' he smiled, 'not if there were any.' _

_He twirled me again and then wrapped his arms tightly around my waist, pressing his body to mine._

_'Have more questions?' he whispered._

_'Was Von Trappe your creation?'_

_'Not mine directly, but he worshiped me.' He sounded like he was boasting at the end of this, so I frowned._

_'Must be your imagination,' I added sarcastically, 'or he is just plainly stupid.'_

_'Oh, that hurt,' he added in an equally sarcastic tone, 'struck the heart, in fact.' _

_I rolled my eyes._

_'What does he want with Frankenstein's monster?'_

_'He's going to create an army of them,' he said, still in a sarcastic tone, 'I don't know.'_

_'I thought that you knew everything,' I snapped._

_'I'm not omniscient, love. Only God is, and he's not saying a thing.' I frowned._

_'Von Trappe worships you,' I replied simply, 'what would you use the monster for?'_

_'To bring my offspring to life.'_

_'He has none. What else?' He silently turned me out and after several seconds, he pulled me closer again. _

_'To use the elixir in the monster's heart to bring something or someone to life.'_

_'Is that even possible?'_

_'The elixir that Dr. Frankenstein used to bring his monster to life would bring any corpse to life, I suppose.'_

_'Or even restart a dead heart?' I added._

_'Probably,' he twirled me one last time and kissed my hand in a gentlemanly fashion before saying in Von Trappe's voice, 'Goodnight, Princess.'_


	5. Chapter 5

A Change

I woke up and slowly opened my eyes. Once I had reassured myself that the reason that my head was throbbing wasn't caused by a hangover, I closed my eyes to think of what Dracula had told me.

_Von Trappe wanted Frankenstein's monster, but why? To bring something or someone to life? A loved one? Or was it to create an army to take over the world? _I smirked at the thought of the last one. It was so cliché. _Yet…I wouldn't put any of them past Von Trappe. All that I know is that he is trying to bring something to life._

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

I jumped and opened my eyes as I sat up. I ignored my swimming head as the door opened.

'I'm coming in,' warned Anastasia as she walked in. She saw me sitting up and smiled, 'how are you feeling tonight?'

'Since when do you care?' I snapped. I did not want to talk with her.

'Listen, I know that you are upset with the fact that I led you into a trap. If I had had another choice, it would not have happened at all.'

'Why'd you do it then?' She hesitated on her answer.

'Master Von Trappe had agreed to make me into a bride of his.'

'I'll believe that when I see it,' I replied. She ignored me and continued, 'the Master orders that I wash and dress you for tonight's proceedings.'

'And why would I ever want to do anything that involves him?'

'Because,' she smirked, 'you eat with him or you don't eat at all.'

'I'll starve,' I said. That wiped the smirk off of her face. She didn't expect that coming.

'Then, you'll…' she paused, trying to think of a valid threat.

'I don't care what you threaten me with,' I said, 'I'd rather die then stay with a scumbag like your master for a minute.' She smiled deviously, showing her teeth. They began to elongate.

'Oh, shit,' I said, scrambling backwards.

'What was that you were saying?' she asked, taking a step forward.

'You can't kill me,' I spat, 'your Master wants to change me himself, doesn't he?' She raised an eyebrow.

'Would you like to wager on that?' I said nothing, so she continued, 'get ready. There is a basin over there, wash yourself.' She gestured to the fireplace that I hadn't noticed earlier.

'When I return,' she finished, 'I expect for you to be clean.' And, with this, she left. She closed the door behind her and I heard the lock slide into place.

I stood there dumbfounded.

_How can she be a vampire? She was out in sunlight, the middle of the day!!_

I sighed and turned to look at the basin near the empty fireplace. I stood from the bed and walked to it. The water in the two pitchers next to it was ice cold.

_I wish there was a fire so I could at least heat it up_. I looked at the fireplace, before I realized something. I walked up to it and looked up, at the very top was a dim light, moonlight. Freedom.

My heart lifted. But how could I climb it? Especially with the heavy gown I wore? But then again, I had put on those pantaloons, and a slip over all that and a bodice over that. I quickly loosened the ties on the dress and slipped out of the dress and left it lying on the floor as I attempted to climb up the chimney. I leaned against on side and then put my feet up on the other end and began to shuffle upwards.

_I wonder if this is how Santa feels._

The chimney became considerably smaller as I climbed up for what seemed like forever and a day. When I finally reached the top, I squeezed through the opening and stood on the roof. Smog had begun to settle in again and I could barely see anything, everything was almost pitch black except for the half moon above. I carefully moved forward, hoping to see where I was, to see if I recognized anything. As I made my way to the edge, I stepped on a loose shingle and I felt my foot sliding and soon I fell backwards, sliding towards the edge at an alarming rate.

I turned on my stomach and attempt to grasp any thing at all, including the rough shingles underneath me. I finally felt my feet dangle in mid-air and I grasped one last time, hoping for some type of gutter surrounding the roof. My fingers wrapped around a thin edging and I latched onto it. The good news was that my body had stopped falling, the bad news was that my grip sucks, and I knew that I would soon be slipping.

I took a chance and glanced down to see how much farther I had to fall. To my surprise, I saw a hedge, a tall outer one from Chesterfield's Garden. And it was just a few feet to my left and I would only have to drop a few feet. I carefully began to slide my hands to the left, praying that my grip wouldn't falter. The metal gutter began to cut into my hands and I winced at the pain, but refused to let go. Soon I was above the three-foot wide hedge and I took a deep breath as readied to let go. I dropped and my feet soon felt the leafy floor. I dropped to all fours and smiled. I had made it. I then look down again to see the twelve-foot drop next to me. I probably could jump down from that, but I would end up with something broken or sprain. The next hedge, one of the inner walls of the maze, was about eight feet tall, so I carefully walked to that hedge and was about to jump when I realized something.

_I don't know how to get out of there…I would probably just get lost. Maybe I should just follow the walls until I get near the entrance, where I can jump down and get out._

I glanced around and soon found the entrance, and a fairly easy path to it. I began to walk at first to it, but when I gained confidence in my footing, I hurried and was soon at a quick jog. But as I ran, my foot sunk into the hedge and I fell to the hedge and soon rolled off from my lack of balance. I hit the ground on my hands and knees and I collapsed to the ground soon after as the pain went through my body. I lay on the ground, trying to recover from everything when I heard rustling.

GRRR…

I froze.

I hope that was my stomach.

GRRR…

This time the growl came from ahead of me. I slowly looked up and saw two shining eyes in the darkness. I carefully got to my knees and then stood, ignoring the pain in my legs. I took a step back and the creature took a step forwards. The moon shown and glistened off of the shining silver fur of a very large wolf. The wolf let out a low growl again, showing its large teeth.

_A werewolf._

'Nice doggie,' I said, holding my hands up as I took another step back. It growled again.

By the way, did I ever mention that I have a very deep dislike for dogs? I was playing with my cousin's dog when I was ten years old and it got pissy with me (and I never pulled its tail, just got too close to its precious bone). To make a long story short, I almost lost my eye and I had a scar on my nose that took a year or so to disappear.

'Nice, wolfie. Go away?' I pleaded. It crouched down, preparing to pounce, and then it lunged itself at me. I held up my hands, protectively, as it landed on me, knocking me back onto the ground. Almost a second later, its weight was lifted and I was picked up, bridal style. I looked up to see a mildly familiar face. It was Septimus, and, even though his face was deeply shadowed, he looked grim. He raced back through the maze and I was soon in the house again.

I was taken to some room near the back door and I was placed onto a couch gently. The lamps in the room were dim and barely lit up anything as several vampires, two women, a man, and Septimus, all stood around me. Septimus turned to the man and growled, 'find the master, and haste.'

The adrenaline that had filled my body only moments before had begun to fade and pain became obvious throughout my body. My arms, legs, back, head, and shoulder all hurt. But the most pain was in my left upper arm, and it burned.

'Where was she?' demanded Von Trappe as he appeared by the couch. He looked at Septimus.

'The Maze,' he answered. Von Trappe cursed under his breath and kneeled next to the couch. He turned to Septimus and muttered something. Septimus left the room.

'Where does it hurt the most?' he asked as he carefully examined all my wounds. I looked up at him, at his dark green eyes and I saw that they were full of worry, pain, and concern. This puzzled me…_Didn't he want me dead?_

'Miss Townsend,' he said, 'where does it hurt?'

'Arms, shoulder, legs, back, head,' I listed. Septimust returned and had a bowl, towels, bandages, and such.

Von Trappe dipped a cloth into the bowl of water and went to clean my wounds. I attempted to scoot away from him, not wanting any of his help, but I couldn't with the back on the couch. So, I closed my eyes and flinched as he began to clean my wounds. He carefully took my right wrist and began to clean my arm. He then turned to the left one and he extended it to clean it. His eyes went up to the torn part of my dress, near my shoulder and he sneered at it and let out a low growl.

'She was bitten. Get me the silver nitrate solution,' he said as he cleaned the wound. I gasped at the pain as Septimus disappeared again. He returned quickly with a syringe and a bottle.

'What is that?' I asked, eyeing the needles. _I hate needles._

'It will slow down the virus until we can get access to the antidote,' he explained as he filled up the syringe with the silver liquid.

'You are not putting that in me,' I objected.

'Hold her,' he said simply as he tapped the air out of the syringe. Septimus came around the back of the couch and grabbed my wrists and held them out so that my arms were straight. I began to panic and I slipped my wrists out of his grasp and jumped up, trying to run for the door. Septimus grabbed me again and he wrapped his arms around me, pinning my arms down. I struggled to get out as Von Trappe approached me.

'NO!' I growled. My voice was not my own, but I paid no attention; I just knew that I didn't want that silver nitrate stuff in me. I winced as the needle went into my skin and the thick solution was shot into my veins. He pulled the needle out and I looked at where he had injected me. Silver lines traced my veins and it ran quickly down my arm and I knew that was throughout my body already.

My arm was the first to become numb and then my entire body soon followed. I was so cold and then I began to shake uncontrollably. Septimus let go of me and I dropped to the ground, too weak to do anything but convulse. I lay on the ground for several minutes, but it felt like hours.

When it finally stopped, I lay on my back on the carpeted floor and gasped for air. Von Trappe kneeled next to me and slit his wrist. Blood began to drip as he put his wrist to my lips.

'Drink,' he said. I closed my lips tightly and I felt the cold blood drip down my cheeks. Someone pinched my nose closed and I was soon forced to open my mouth to take a breath and blood gushed in. I began to gag and I turned onto my side, coughing. I had spit quite a bit of blood out, but I knew that I had still swallowed a lot of blood.

I looked up at Von Trappe and was too weak to do anything but glare at him.

'Go to sleep,' he commanded and I felt fatigue wash over me and I fell asleep.

A New Me

I awoke in my designated bedroom, which seemed unnaturally chilly despite the roaring fire in the fireplace. I sniffed the air and smelt something decaying and it seemed fairly strong. I turned my head to see if I could pinpoint the source of the smell and saw Von Trappe standing in the doorway, talking to another vampire that I didn't recognize.

'If it isn't brought to me by tomorrow, there will be hell to pay,' growled Von Trappe in a low voice. The vampire left and Von Trappe turned around to face me. I quickly closed my eyes and acted as though I were still asleep and hadn't heard a thing.

'Good evening, Princess,' he said. I slowly opened one eye to look up at him.

'How'd you know that I was awake?'

'I saw your eyes open,' He replied simply and he sat down gently onto the bed.

'What did you do to me?' I asked in a low voice.

'I simply gave you a bit of blood. It slows down the virus.'

'You knew that this would happen.'

'What would happen?' he asked, innocently.

'That I would be changed into a werewolf!'

'No I didn't.

'You wanted to change me!' I accused him.

'Not into a filthy vermin.'

'But you were still planning on changing me,' I concluded. 'But why did you give me blood?'

'To slow the virus,' he repeated. I raised my eyebrow.

'Why do you care so much to "slow the virus"?'

'Because I do,' he replied. He then said in a casual tone, 'how are you feeling?'

'What do you think?' I snapped.

'Answer the question,' he ordered. I closed my mouth, but soon it opened up, against my will and words flowed out of it.

'Much better. But I still have a mild headache, I'm fairly confused, and am currently pissed off at you.' I clasped my hand over my mouth. I watched at his amused face as I slowly said, 'did I just say that out loud?'

'Yes,' he smirked. I lowered my hand.

'How did you make me do that?' I asked slowly. He merely smiled more. I then began to think of what he could have done to make me follow his order. 'It was the blood, wasn't it? That's why you did that. To have control over me.'

'How do you think that I control my nocturnal slaves? They each get a few drops of my blood.'

'You bastard,' I growled.

'Relax, love,' he replied and paused for his command to take its toll on me, 'tonight, I will have a ball to celebrate a fairly special occasion. You will be cleaned and fashioned completely presentable for it. And you will be my escort for the night.'

He stood and headed towards the door. But before he left he turned around and said, 'Anastasia will assist you. But get washed before she arrives.'

He then left, closing the door behind him. I wanted so badly to defy his orders, but I stood robotically and headed over to the water basin and washed myself with the freezing cold water.

I had barely finished drying myself when Anastasia appeared. She placed a blood red and gold dress onto the bed. Anastasia then helped me into a new under dress and laced up the bodice.

'You smell like wet dog,' she commented. I sniffed the air.

'Better than Eau de Rotting Corpse,' I replied, wrinkling my nose.

'I do not know why the master saved a putrid mongrel as yourself.'

'Because,' I said, deciding to play on the information that I already knew, 'He's going to make me his bride. It's a much better choice that what he had earlier, I believe.'

'Shut your mouth,' she snapped.

'I don't have to listen to you.'

'You had better,' she began. I turned around.

'Or what?' I taunted again. 'You can't kill me or harm me.'

'I'll tell the master.'

'See if I care.' For the rest of the time was silent as she dressed me, curled my hair into ringlets, and helped me put on jewelry. By the time I had finished, I looked like Princess Anna in a different dress (which disturbed me in multiple ways).

I heard Big Ben toll ten in the distance as Anastasia led the way to the main room where I had first met Von Trappe two nights before. In the room, I was taken directly up to him at the front of the room and I was very surprised to see that he look fairly handsome black and white coat with tails. He welcomed me with a bow and I curtsied in return. He then offered his arm and I took it as he led me to the center of the room.

'You look absolutely delicious, love,' he said. I ignored the part of the comment suggesting his intentions involving my blood.

'You clean up pretty good yourself,' I returned. We joined in the first dance.

'So, where did you say that you were from?' he asked.

'Obviously not here.'

'Tell me,' he ordered.

'The United States.'

'When?'

'Why do you want to know that?'

'Answer the question.' I sighed.

'21st Century.'

'So the rumors are true.' He smiled. I already knew that he was referring to the incident with Dracula.

The song ended and we began a faster tune. As we through this dance, as well as the next half a dozen, I found myself, oddly enough, enjoying myself. During the next slow dance, he pressed me close to his body and stared into my eyes.

'Tell me, how do you feel about tonight?'

'It's quite enjoyable,' I replied.

'And what about me?'

'What about you?' I asked, sarcastically.

'How do you feel about me?'

'You are quite handsome when you clean up, and I have conflicting feelings in me.' I bit my tongue and added in a low growl, 'you bastard.'

He chuckled. A few seconds later, I saw a person out of the corner of my eye jogging up to us. He was not dressed in formal attire, so he had to have been on patrol or something like that. Von Trappe and the man made eye contact and, although the man's mouth did not move or open, I heard his voice in my head.

_'Van Helsing has returned. He demands negotiations.'_

'Good,' Von Trappe smiled, I watched Von Trappe's lips move and he looked at me, 'stay hidden in the shadows, near, and appear when I call for you.'

I growled but obeyed anyway. So I went to the corner of the room nearest the doors and in the shadows as everyone stopped dancing and went to either side of the room. Soon the door opened and Van Helsing stormed in, followed by a frightened Carl.

'Welcome back, Van Helsing' called Von Trappe, 'this is sooner than expected.'

'Where is she?' he demanded.

'The monster first.' The two men glared at each other before Van Helsing replied first.

'He is dead,' he voice was almost convincing, but a part of me didn't believe him, couldn't believe him, 'The Order had him eliminated.'

'Where is his body then?'

'In the ocean,' he replied quickly.' Now, where is Miss Townsend?'

My chest began to ache because of the breath I had been holding. I wanted to scream out at him, telling him that I was near. Von Trappe looked past Van Helsing, to me, and held out his hand to beckon me. 'Come, my dear.'

I walked up the center aisle and past Van Helsing and Carl, trying not to look at their faces as I past them. I took Von Trappe's hand and he held onto it and turned me around to face Van Helsing and Carl.

'Here she is, Van Helsing. And here is where she shall stay until I get that monster.' Van Helsing looked at Carl and I could tell that they had a second plan going on incase this had happened.

'We tell you that the monster had been killed by the Order,' said Carl in a small voice.

'And I tell you that no exchange will take place,' Von Trappe reassured Carl and Van Helsing. Van Helsing and Carl looked at each other once more before they both turned and left, looking defeated. I watched the door close behind them before Von Trappe turned me to face him.

'I want you to go to my office next door,' he said and then turned to another vampire near him to start giving orders. I left him and headed out of the room and into the grand hall. Van Helsing and Carl had both already left, so I had no hope of being rescued as I headed to his office.

Once I got in, I closed the door behind me and leaned against it.

_There has to be a way out of here. But how?_ I hit my forehead against the wooden door a few times as I thought through everything. _I can't do anything contrary to what I am directly ordered to do. So, there must be a way to twist his words to get what I want, but how? He told me to "Go to his office next door"…but he never told me to stay here._

I smiled and gently opened the door and looked out into the empty hall. I then tried my plan by stepping out of the door. I didn't get thrown back into the room, nor did any pain go through my body. So, I ran for the main doors, both in plain view and quickly slipped through one. Once I closed one, I ran for my life, not stopping until I knew that I would be safe.

Fog was already setting in and it was becoming difficult to see where I was going, so I had to slow down quite a bit. Plus, a woman running in the middle of the night in London may look bad.

I was passing in front of an alley when I felt someone grab my arm. I screamed and turned around and defensively raked my nails across the person's face. It was too late when I realized it was Van Helsing.

'Oh, Van Helsing, I'm sorry. You frightened me,' I explained. I carefully looked at his now clean-shaven face that was now bleeding. I carefully cupped my hand behind the wounds and whispered, 'I'm so sorry.'

'I'm fine,' he replied, 'but we must hurry.' I glanced around.

'Where is Carl?' I asked as Van Helsing took my hand and began to pull me away.

'He's working on a plan back at the Inn,' he said and he began to pull me along. We quickly went to the Rogue Inn and hurried up the stairs and into my room that I had had there in the beginning. Once inside he closed the door behind us.

'Sit,' he said and I plopped down on the bed obediently. He sat next to me and said, 'tell me what happened.'

'Nothing really. I was just locked in a room the entire time,' I really didn't want to go into detail. Van Helsing would kill me if he knew all the details.

'Then why did you go to him when he bade for you?'

'He, um…' I looked away, 'force fed me his blood.' I heard Van Helsing let out a low growl. I knew that he was angry so I decided to change the subject. I looked back up and carefully stroked his left cheek, avoiding his wounds.

'Are you in pain?' I asked in a little above the whisper.

'I've had worse.'

'I feel bad.' _Honestly, I did._

'Don't.' Our eyes met and I scooted a little closer until our faces were just inches apart.

'Van Helsing…I've missed you so much.' He took my chin, lifted it a little before our lips met in a kiss.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

'Van Helsing,' called Carl through the door. 'Are you there?'

We parted quickly and both stood. I headed for the door and opened it.

'Hello, Carl,' I said with an innocent, welcoming smile, although I'm sure that my face was red.

'Eee!' squealed a familiar voice as I was tackled to the ground.

'Nice to see you too, Kait,' I smiled at her kneeling over me. She pulled me up and we both stood.

'How dare you run off like that,' said Courtney as she came towards me. She smacked my arm, directly on the wounded part, and I winced a little. But she, thankfully, did not notice. 'You could have been killed.'

'_Gee Erica, I'm glad you are okay_,' I said sarcastically. I looked around the room. 'Hey, where's Marie, James, Derek, and Van?'

'Next door, getting sleep,' replied Carl.

'We better wake them up,' said Kait, pulling me to the door. 'They'll want to see her.'

I glanced back at Van Helsing for any help but he seemed far away in his thoughts. But once he realized that I was looking at him, he gave me the "I'm-fine-but-bothered-about-something" smile.

Kait and Courtney pulled me next door and Courtney knocked on the door while Kait went to another room. Courtney didn't wait for someone to answer and pulled me in. It was Marie's room and she was still awake, sitting in bed. When she saw me, she launched herself out of bed.

'Erica!' she cried, 'you're alive.'

'Yep,' I smiled.

'We thought the worst,' she said. As she said this, her eyes flickered past me, 'right guys?'

'Yep,' agreed James and Derek as they walked into the room. Van followed behind.

'Glad you are okay Erika,' said James.

'Thanks.' Derek smiled at me and I hugged him. I honestly had missed him (don't ask me why, but you might know ;-). ) I then turned to Van, who lingered in the back. I walked up to him.

'I'm glad that you are well,' he said in a low voice.

'Thanks.' There was an awkward pause.

'I'm sorry,' he apologized.

'It's alright. I overreacted.' I smiled and so did he.

'So what happened?' asked James.

'Leave nothing out,' added Courtney.

'When the sun rises,' said Van Helsing, leaning against the doorframe. 'She needs rest. As do we all.'

I looked at Van Helsing and mouthed "Thank You" to him.

'Come on, Erica,' he said as he stood up straight and led the way to my room. I opened the door and led the way in. He followed and closed the door behind me.

'Is something wrong?' he asked. I froze and turned to look at him. Our eyes met for a second before I looked away. His voice was guarded as he said, 'you were bitten, weren't you?'

'Yes. By a werewolf.' He cursed, loudly. I headed over to my bed and said as I sat down, 'I need the antidote, Van Helsing.' I took in a deep breath as I felt the tears begin to well up in my eyes. 'I can't be a werewolf, Van Helsing. I just can't.'

I buried my face into my hands and began to cry. I felt Van Helsing sit next to me and he put his arm gently around my shoulders and I turned to cry into his chest. He hugged me and we rocked back and forth.

'We'll find it. The Order will have one. We'll have to search for it. I'll send word tonight.' He said.

'What if they don't have it, or it doesn't come in time?' I asked, wiping my eyes and looking up at him.

'It will,' he reassured me. I looked at his eyes and saw that there was doubt behind them. He cupped my chin and tilted it upward so I was facing him. 'I won't fail you.'

I offered him a smile.

'I know.' I laid my head on his shoulder and closed my tired eyes. 'I know, Van Helsing. I trust you.' I fell asleep quickly.

_Dracula smiled at me, his head was propped up on his hand. I frowned when I saw that we were lying in the same bed. I sat up and growled._

_'The antidote, Dracula. Where is it?' _

_'Why?' he asked, innocently._

_'I was bitten, you moronic bloodsucker.' I snapped. I had this awful feeling that he knew that this would happen. _

_He laughed and replied, 'served you right.'_

_'Then I hope you serve an eternity-worth of eternities in hell!' I retorted. _

_'Fine,' he sat up slowly. 'You must return to Von Trappe. He has it now.' _

_'Okay, where does he keep it?' I asked, warily._

_'I don't know.'_

_'Fine, I'll go at dawn.'_

_'Then you must wake up now.' And with this, he shoved me off the bed._

I woke up as I hit the floor. I groaned as I rubbed my head and sat up.

'Damnit Dracula.' I got up and quickly dressed in my men's clothing, placing a dagger in each boot. I grabbed my coat and rushed down the hall to the stairs.

'Going somewhere?' asked a voice behind me. I turned to see Van.

'A walk,' I replied. _It wasn't a total lie._

'Need company?' he asked. _Crap! If I tell him that he can't come, he'll think that something is up. But he can't come…_

'Sure.' I headed down the stairs and threw open the front door and froze. The sun had almost already set.

_Damn you Dracula!!!_

'Are you alright?' asked Van behind me.

'I'm fine,' I replied. Van offered his arm and I took it. We walked down the street, in the direction of Von Trappe's mansion (I led the way and he didn't seem to mind. He was too busy talking about what had happened since I had disappeared. Not much in my standards). By the time we had reached Von Trappe's home, the sun had already set and the full moon had begun to rise. I glanced at it and felt my entire body shudder. I need that antidote.

'Erica, why are we here?' he glanced up at the house.

'He has something that I need,' I replied, letting go of his arm and headed up to the door.

'Erica,' he grabbed my hand, 'I won't let you go.'

'Too bad,' I replied. 'I need something that he has.'

'What?'

'Something that may save us all. Now release me.'

'That's suicide,' he objected.

'Let go.' _He's trying my patience._

'No.'

'Now!' I growled in a voice that was not my own. Van released me out of surprise and looked horrified. Before he could recover, I turned and ran to the house and opened the door. I slipped in, unnoticed and began my search for Von Trappe. I headed for his office first.

'Erica,' said a familiar voice behind me,' welcome back.'

'You know why I'm here, Von Trappe, 'I replied without turning around.

'First exposure to a full moon,' he commented. I felt my body shudder again and I almost doubled over in pain, 'do you feel it calling? Calling for change?'

_Why do I feel so unstable and blood thirsty?_

'Come, love,' he said, 'you must see something.' His voice was commanding, so I had no choice but to follow him. I turned around and followed him into a part of the house that I hadn't seen before. He opened up a door and beckoned me in.

The room looked like a sanctuary; stonewalls, and an alter in the front. A large window overhead allowed in the high moon rays, which shown as a haze to me

'Love,' he said, 'I will give you the antidote n return for your life. As my bride.'

_What is with these vampires and their obsession with needing a bride?_

'Do I have a choice?' I asked. I glanced up at the moon and caught the magnificence of the brilliant white orb. My body shuddered again, and pain coursed through my body. The pain was so intense that I doubled over and fell to my knees. My bones audibly cracked and my veins felt like they were on fire. This pain that I felt was worst than anything I had ever felt before. _Was I dying?_

I glanced up at the horrified Von Trappe and knew that my freedom was at hand. My mouth watered and I let out a low growl before I launched myself at Von Trappe. He had no time to protect himself, so I buried my canines into his neck and felt the cold blood pour into my mouth. Von Trappe collapsed below me and I growled and backed away, looking as he convulsed on the floor and turned black as ash. I then sniffed the air, smelling a new smell, another vampire. I turned around to see Dracula.

_Dracula? _

_Dracula!_

I leapt into the air. I was about to bite him when I felt something being inserted into my stomach. I fell backwards and glanced down at the syringe in my stomach.

I began to convulse and my body began to cool and the pain came back, but not as intense this time, and I soon felt almost normal. I gently pulled the syringe out, wincing as I looked at the two-inch long needle.

_Ugh, needles._

'Hello, darling. Did you miss me?' asked Dracula.

_Was I hallucinating? How could he have possibly returned? He was ash!!_

'You knew that he would bring you back this entire time, didn't you?' I said in a low voice. He smiled.

'You catch on quickly.' He swiftly approached me and picked me up by my arm, standing me up. When he released me, I staggered backwards and leaned against the wall before sliding to the ground.

'How is this possible?'

'A mixture of my remains, magic, and Frankenstein's brilliant elixir.'

'But, you were ash,' I stuttered. He stepped towards me.

'You cannot believe how long I have waited for his moment,' he pulled me up and lovingly held me close, 'six long months in hell for you to be mine. It was almost worth it.'

'You can't have me,' I snapped when I regained my voice and wits.

'That's what you think,' he said. He put his mouth close to my neck and I closed my eyes in anticipation. Suddenly a bat-like screech filled the air and I was released. I opened my eyes to see Dracula turning to face Van. Protruding from Dracula's back was a silver stake. I backed away as Van yelled, 'Erica, run!'

_Don't need to tell me twice_.

I ran out of the room and out of the house, into the street. I turned to head to the Inn when I ran into Carl, knocking both of us to the ground.

'Carl,' I said as I stood and helped him up. His eyes were wide as he looked me up and down.

'Erica, why are your clothes torn?' I glanced down and saw that he was right.

'Long story.'

'And where have you been?' he demanded.

'It's Dracula,' I gasped, 'he's been resurrected!'

'Impossible.'

'Not this,' I added. 'Where is Van Helsing?'

'Looking for you.'

'Where?'

'He went into the maze.' My heard dropped.

_The werewolves._ _He doesn't know about them._

I pulled out a dagger from my boot and sprinted to the opening.

'Erica, wait,' called Carl from behind me. I ignored him and headed inside. Once I was in the maze, I called out, 'Van Helsing!'

Where there was no answer, I hurried in. I chose my footsteps carefully, though, listening for any signs of life.

GRRR!

I gripped the handle of my dagger tighter and looked around. I saw nothing.

GRRR!

I hurried towards the sound this time and soon saw what I was looking for. The werewolf. But where was Van Helsing?

The wolf sniffed at me and bared its teeth. I began to back away slowly before I got the courage to turn and run. The wolf chased after me and I let the way through many twists and turns before I came to a dead end.

_Why do mazes have dead ends?_

It was here that I began to curse and I turned around, pulling out the other dagger and baring them protectively. The wolf jumped at me and landed on top of me. I had thrust my dagger into its abdomen before slicing the other one across its neck. Blood spurted out and its dead weight collapsed on me. It had to weigh at least 200 pounds.

I shoved it off with great effort, grimacing at the smelly fur and matted blood. I then carefully got up, not know what blood spots belonged to him and which belonged to me. When I stood and put weight on my left foot, pain shot up my leg and I collapsed to the ground one more. I sat on the ground and gently prodded my ankle. It was broken.

My right forearm now hurt, as did my neck. But I ignored the pain as I attempted to stand again, this time I leaned against the hedge.

'Erica?' called Van Helsing in the distance.

'Van Helsing,' I called back. Pain shot up my leg again and I cried out as I fell. My vision was blurred by tears.

'Where are you?' he called.

'I don't know, near a dead end I suppose,' I called back.

'Are you injured?'

'Not badly.'

'She sounds closer,' commented Carl.

'Good,' I replied sarcastically, 'it means that I'm nearby.'

Their torchlight preceded them as they walked around a corner. I quickly stood and acted as though I were fine and attempted to walk to them, without the support of the hedge, and I fell. Van Helsing rushed to my side.

'Not badly?' he raised an eyebrow.

'I could be missing some limbs,' I replied, 'could be worse.'

'Like what?'

'Dracula resurrected,' suggested Carl.

'What?' growled Van Helsing.

'It's true,' I confirmed, 'I just saw him.'

'Damn it all,' he said.

'Listen, Van Helsing,' said Carl, 'he was just brought back to life, he's weak.'

'Stake through the heart, behead him,' said Van Helsing, 'then throw the head into the river and bury the body.

'What of Von Trappe?' asked Carl.

'I killed him,' I replied, 'werewolf venom.'

'Speaking of which,' Van Helsing glanced at the dead wolf. 'It's a full moon, why aren't you one?'

'Dracula gave me the antidote.' I smiled. Carl sighed.

'It would have been nice if you were a werewolf.'

'CARL!' scolded Van Helsing and I.

'I was merely stating that it would have been nice to have some venom to kill Dracula.'

'The venom is in the saliva, correct?' I asked. Both men nodded. 'Coat a couple of stakes with the saliva from that wolf.'

'Not bad,' replied Carl, looking at Van Helsing, 'it may work.' He stood and took two stakes out to begin soaking them.

'Ever thought of becoming a full-time slayer?' suggested Van Helsing.

'Not until I met you, and still not really,' I said. I began to attempt to stand but Van Helsing picked me up bridal style.

'I'm running Erica back to the Inn,' he said to Carl. 'I'll return shortly.'

He carried me out of the maze and five minutes later we were at the Rogue Inn again. He laid me on my bed gently.

'I don't want to stay here,' I told him, 'I want to fight.'

'No. You stay here and recover,' he said, 'you can't fight with an injured leg.' He carefully took off my boot. I clenched my fists and attempted not to cry out in pain. He prodded my swollen ankle.

'Broken,' he concluded.

'Bind it, then I'll fight,' I sat up.

'No,' he growled. I'm going to bring in someone to help clean up these wounds.' He turned to leave, but I grabbed his hand and he turned around. We kissed briefly. When we released, I muttered, 'for luck.'

He looked mildly disturbed but whispered back, 'I don't need any luck.' He left and soon Derek, Courtney, and Kait came in.

'The Innkeeper's wife will be bringing up some water and bandages,' said Kait as she plopped down next to me. I winced as it jolted my ankle.

'What happened?' asked Courtney.

'Werewolves and Vampire complications,' I replied. There was a knock at the door and the Innkeeper's wife came in, placed a bowl, pitchers of water and bandages on a nearby table and left.

'Now, what really happened?' asked Courtney as she began to clean my wounds on my face. Derek carefully went to work on bandaging my ankle and Kait cleaned my bloody arms. I began to explain everything from when I had first met Anastasia Bureau up until the part of escaping Dracula. When I began to talk about Van, I froze.

'Oh, God, Van!' I sat up, but was quickly pushed back down.

'Relax,' said Kait.

'No, Van,' I said, 'he attacked Dracula and told me to run. I did. Oh, he could be dead. I've got to help him!' I attempted to sit up again, but was pushed down again.

'Listen, Van Helsing will probably keep him safe,' said Courtney reassuringly.

'He could be killed, let me go!' I growled. Suddenly pain shot through my entire body, a familiar pain. It felt like all my bones had broken at once and my blood had begun to boil.

I glanced out at the moon; a bit of it was uncovered.

_I was cured, how this happen? Unless…_

'Kait, was I bitten?' I asked, through clenched teeth.

'I don't know,' she replied. I felt my body lurch.

'Run,' I growled, 'hurry. Find Van Helsing, I need the antidote.' I felt my body painfully transform. Everyone began to back away as I quickly jumped up and ran for the window. I threw it open and jumped out. When I landed, my entire body had transformed into a wolf, and I hungered for blood. And, as any dog would want, a leader, a pack, a master.

But my human brain still had some control and I knew what I had to do. Kill Dracula. I let out a hair-raising howl and bounded off to Von Trappe's house.

A few seconds later, I arrived and sniffed the air, smelling a mix of blood and corpse. The front door was open, so I went in, sniffing again. I was let into the Great hall and found Van Helsing and Carl standing in front of a pile of ash. Dracula was dead.

I sniffed the air and smelt more of the undead. I glanced around to see Anastasia hidden in the shadows. A growl rumbled deep in my throat as I bounded towards her. She saw me coming and I watched her transform into a wolf.

I let out a small snarl and headed for her throat.

My human side must have allowed the werewolf in me to dominate, because I can't recall what had occurred. All I know is that her throat was torn out and my side was bleeding profusely.

A cloud briefly passed over the moon and the light faded. I was transformed back into my human self, barely clothed, as Carl and Van Helsing approached me.

'Help me,' I gasped. My body burned with pain again as the cloud had passed, 'Run!!'

I was soon a werewolf again and I watched Van Helsing pull out a tube from his jacked. He put on end to his mouth and blew on it. A dart wooshed out and embedded itself into my neck. I let out a small whimper and collapsed.

When I awoke, I found myself in a somewhat dark room, one that should have looked familiar. My limbs were all changed to the ground so that I rested on my right, uninjured side. I sniffed the air and smelt food and meats. My eyes slowly adjusted to the dark light and I saw that I was in a storage room.

I heard a door open somewhere in the distance and footsteps approaching the room where I was being held captive. The door to the room opened and two dark figures came in. I let out a deep growl. The smaller of the two gave off the scent of fear and it pleased me to know that they still saw me as a threat. Even though they were the men who had chained me there like a savage beast.

'What if it doesn't work?' asked the shorter of the two, the fearful one.

'It will,' reassured the taller, scruffier one. But I could hear a bit of doubt in his voice. I watched as he held out a syringe with a needle on the end. I let out another low growl and began to pull at my chains.

There was no way that they were going to inject me with anything. Especially since they were the enemy. I bared my teeth at the taller of the two as he neared me and he pressed down on my neck, at the base of my skull, and injected the liquid in the needle into my neck.

My entire body froze and I began to shiver as pain shot through my body once more. My thirst for blood lessened and my senses all dimmed as I began to realize my surroundings.

'Van Helsing? Carl?' I asked in a hoarse voice as I finally recognized them. _Why was everything black and white?_

'It worked,' breathed Carl.

'Why am I chained to the ground?' I asked.

'You tried to kill us,' answered Carl.

'Thanks Carl,' muttered Van Helsing as he undid the chains.

'What happened?' I asked.

'We had just killed Dracula, again, with the werewolf saliva-drenched stakes when you arrived. You fought with another wolf, you won by ripping out her throat. She fell to the ground and transformed into a vampiric form. You then returned to your human form, asked for help, and then you were transformed back into your form. Van Helsing drugged you with a dart and we brought you here, chained you a precaution, and went to work on an antidote,' explained Carl quickly.

'An antidote, out of what?' I asked, curious of what they had used.

'Silver nitrate, sulfate, Van Helsing's blood,' listed Carl casually.

'Van Helsing's Blood!' I glanced at Van Helsing. He shrugged.

'I figured that I still had some of the antidote in my blood.'

'So, the Order didn't have the antidote?' Carl shook his head.

'They might have but had we told them, they would have ordered your death. So, we improvised.'

'Is this why I'm colorblind currently?' _Man, this black and white thing was annoying._

'No, that is temporary,' Van Helsing assured me. 'It will disappear in an hour or so.' He helped me into a standing position and I threw my arms around his neck and was about to kiss him.

'Erica, wait,' he said, 'we need to talk first.' I frowned. _What the hell did that mean? _

He looked at Carl and said, 'Time alone, Carl.'

'Of course,' he replied and left.

_I've never had a boyfriend in my life but I definitely think I know what he means by saying, "we need to talk first."…But then again, it can't be all that bad, can it?_

What's wrong?' I asked as he reached up, took my hands from around his neck and brought them down so that they were between us.

'First of all, we don't know what happened to Van, Erica. I know that you were worried about him. But, I know that you will be glad to find out that he was, in fact, Velkan Valerious.

'What? He was supposed to be dead,' I asked, really surprised.

_I never thought of that. That must be how I recognized him._

'I don't know. He probably acquired an antidote and it changed him back, but destroyed his memory in the process.' He added a painful smile to his face, 'and the second thing.'

'It's about us, isn't it?' I asked as my heart fell lower in my chest. He nodded.

'There can be no "us". Although, I admit that I do harbor feelings, they are nothing more than a mortal's whim. And the fact that our age and time periods differ so vastly.'

'But aren't opposites supposed to attract?' I asked, feeling tears fill my eyes.

'I suppose, but we are not even meant to be.'

'You say this because the Order told you to?' I whispered. When he didn't answer, I bowed my head, unsure of what to think. He cupped my chin and pulled it up so our eyes met. I blinked a couple times in an attempt to clear my eyes of tears.

'I say this because you already have someone.'

'Who?'

'Derek.' I was confused. I don't already have Derek. He noticed and continued, 'I have seen more affection and pure love in him to you than anyone I have met in these times. And I see in your eyes that you return it as well, although you cannot see it because you are blinded by something else.'

'Damn it, Van Helsing,' I muttered, turning away. I hugged myself as I thought about Derek, finally seeing what he had just pointed out to me. Seeing what I had learned about him during this adventure. I thought of how he has expressed his love and I smiled a little.

'See,' he grabbed my shoulders and kissed the back of my head. 'You do.'

'Erica!' I heard a voice call in the distance. I looked at the door and saw Derek. I smiled at Van Helsing and called out, 'Derek.'

I ran to him but stopped myself before I tackled him.

'How are you?' he asked.

'Much, much better, Derek,' I smiled and he returned it.

'What are you smiling about?' he asked. I smiled wider.

'This,' I replied and threw my arms around his neck and kissed him. He put his arms around my waist, returning the kiss.

'Oh, get a room,' I heard Kait say. Our lips separated and we glanced at our friends, our arms still around each other. James and Marie smiled at each other.

'Are you guys ready to head home yet?' asked Courtney. I glanced at Van Helsing and he smiled.

'Definitely,' I replied. My friends filed out of the door with Derek and me following.

'Wait,' I said to him, 'I'll meet you in a bit with the others, kay?'

'Alright,' He kissed my lips gently and left. I turned and walked back to Van Helsing.

'You are right, Gabriel,' I said, using his true name for the first time ever. I gave him a kiss on his scruffy cheek, 'but you will always have a place in my heart.'

'And you, in mine,' he kissed my forehead.

'When we return to my time, you will visit me, won't you?' my voice sounded overly hopeful.

'There is always a possibility,' he looked at the door, 'we best be going or they may think that something occurred.'

'I suppose,' he offered his arm and I took it. We walked to the door and he asked, 'how's your eyesight coming?'


	6. Chapter 7

**Home**

As it turns out, I was being detained in the Inn's storage room. I now wore my prom dress again and had dressed like I had been for prom, except for the make up (all of us were like this).

We all stood in my room as we said our goodbyes to Carl and Van Helsing.

'Uh, Carl,' asked Kait, who had seemed to become quite close to the Friar, 'how do we get back if you don't have the potion to return us?

'I lied, I had some the entire time.'

'What?!?' all of us said.

'And you are supposed to be a friar?' I reprimanded him.

'Nobody's perfect,' he shrugged. I shook my head but gave him and Van Helsing a hug. After we released, I noticed Van Helsing's eyes wandering lower. I quickly covered my cleavage with my hand that had his ring still on it.

'And you are supposed to be an angel?' I asked.

'Mortal habits, I suppose.' I rolled my eyes. Carl brought out the vial and threw it against the wall. The opaque silver smoke rose and disappeared as before.

'Don't forget to visit, Carl,' I said, 'and you too, Van Helsing.'

'We shall try,' promised Carl.

'Bye!' called everyone as they walked through the wall. I was the last one through.

'Farewell,' called Carl.

'Behave,' I called back. Van Helsing grinned mischievously.

'Only if you do.'

I walked through the wall into darkness and cold. Soon, the temperature warmed up and the room brightened. I was in the locker room once again, with everyone there. And my eyesight was back.

'Think that the dance is about over?' asked Marie.

'I don't know, let's go see,' I replied. We listened to the song playing in the gym. It was "Desperado" by Garth Brooks.

'Hey, wasn't this the song…' Courtney trailed off.

'That was playing when we left?' finished Kait. They hurried out of the locker room, followed by James and Marie, leaving Derek and me behind.

'Ready to go dance?' he asked.

'Most definitely,' I replied with a nod. He grabbed my hand. I glanced back at the wall on last time before we walked out to the dance floor. After Prom ended, Derek and James took us home to change for the After-Prom party. Derek walked me to the door and pulled me to the side so Marie and James could walk into the house.

Derek dug into his pocket and pulled something out, hiding it in his hands so I wouldn't see it.

I want you to have this.' He opened his hand to reveal a vial of the potion. I gasped and then smiled at him.

'You little thief.'

'Here,' he put it in my hand and closed my fingers around it, 'put it somewhere safe.'

'I most certainly will,' I replied. I kissed him, 'I'll be out in a jiffy. You wanna wait in the living room?'

He nodded and followed me in. He sat with James in the living room as I hurried to my room and put the vial in my jewelry box on my dresser. I took out my hair and began to brush it out to put it into a tail.

'Hello, Erica, it's been a very long time,' I heard a voice say behind me. I froze and turned to see a man in his early twenties with black jeans and a white shirt. He had a clean-shaven face and long copper hair. He lay casually on my bed with his hands clasped behind his head. My brush fell from my hands.

'Velkan.'

**Okay, so I'm done with this story, if you really think I oughta continue, message me or send me a review. IDK if I will make a continuation yet. **


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